Monte Mai Feeling Kaleidoscopic
Describing themselves as a “Swiss Grenadian psychedelic pop trio”, Monte Mai’s multi-coloured debut album “Eye Sea Double” is available now on Il Domani/On the Camper Records. Along with the basic digital release comes a suitably colourful array of extra formats including a limited-edition vinyl “Psycho Set” containing a customisable cover with three different screen print inlays. Also available is a selection of groovy tote bags and recycled psychedelic goggles.
Formed in 2020 by Grenadian singer and synth-player Anais Schmidt and the Swiss duo of Fabio Pinto (guitar, vocals) and Fabio Besomi (bass, electronics), Monte Mai have quickly found a style all of their own. “A unique encounter between Swiss precision and Caribbean freschezza”, they say on their homepage. Driven more by electronic beats and textures than the guitars their line-up might suggest, their music offers a heady mixture of dreamy vocals, danceable beats and, yes, oodles of psychedelically coloured whooshes, bleeps, jungle sounds and cosmic nebulas. Whilst we get the impression here and there that they may have spent some time listening to Yello and Deee-Lite, the rest of this joyous and mesmerising album constantly leaves you guessing what planet these freaks were raised on.
